Schools laptop project helps students make the grade virtually

One hundred children from schools across Wembley have been given special laptops to help them log on to their very own virtual classroom and get extra support with their school work.
 
The students are part of a scheme called the Managed Learning Environment (MLE) which is being run by the following ten Wembley primary and secondary schools, which together form the Wembley Cluster:
Barham Primary
Oakington Manor Primary
Preston Park Primary
St Joseph's Primary
Sudbury Primary
Wembley Primary
Alperton High
Preston Manor CLC
Wembley High School
Preston Park Primary
The personalised, online learning package, provided by Brent's Extended Services team, gives individual extra learning activities, online tutor support and electronic feedback and is currently being offered to Year 5 and Year 7 students who are underachieving.
 
It was developed by the ten MLE-trained tutors from each of the participating schools, who still meet regularly to discuss its progress and share their views, hints and tips about the programme with one another online.
 
The children, who can log on to the network at school as often as they need to, are also encouraged to bring their laptops (or mini-notebooks) home with them after school too, so they can boost their learning outside of school regardless of whether they have a home computer or internet access.
 
Since its introduction in March 2009, the MLE has seen a dramatic improvement in the attainment of the majority of students who have taken part in it, over half of whom had reached or exceeded expected targets after completing the programme.
 
The next challenge is to get more parents involved and engaged in the MLE and to achieve this, each parent of a participating child will soon be given their own personal online accounts.
 
This will allow them to view test results and electronic feedback from tutors and keep them up to speed with their child's progress at regular stages throughout the programme.
 
John Redpath, Preston Park headteacher and MLE co-ordinator, says;
 
"The MLE has been a fantastic resource for helping students who were previously underperforming to reach their full potential.  By providing laptops, the programme has bridged the technical divide that exists between some students, giving those without access to a computer or the internet at home a chance to engage with learning in a new and exciting way.
 
"The project would not be the success it is though without the hard work and dedication of the MLE tutors from each of the schools involved and the determination and enthusiasm of the students on programme to embrace this very different way of learning and make it work for them."
 
Brent Assistant Director for Children and Families, Krutika Pau says;
 
"Projects like the MLE show just what schools can achieve when they get together with the council's Extended Services team to identify which pupils need additional learning support and how best to provide it in a way that will enthuse those particular children.
 
"I would like to thank all the teachers and support staff involved in helping to make MLE such a runaway success."

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